Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 review: 'focused and exhilarating'

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Where last year's Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare provided a plot that knew exactly what it wanted to achieve, resulting in an enjoyable B-Movie romp that didn't outstay its welcome, Black Ops III has far grander designs.

With plot threads covering everything from human augmentation, the ethics of privacy, AI autonomy and what it means to be human in an increasing digitised world, developer Treyarch is attempting its magnum opus. Unfortunately, the storytelling isn't up to the job; not least given the exhaustive list of classic movies, books and games that have breached these subjects in a way that is more intelligent, engaging and provocative.

Thankfully, the main business of interaction fares much better. Playable with up to four players cooperatively, there's a level of depth to the campaign that drags it above recent releases in the franchise. A host of loadout options are offered prior to kicking off a mission, with new weapons, perks, grenades etc unlocked using points earned during battle.

Kitting your four-person team out with a variety of tools allows you to specialise in a certain role. You might want a couple of snipers and a pair of close-quarters shotgun-wielders for one mission, while the next is better approached exclusively from medium range with assault rifles.

Further customisation is granted by your choice of 'Cyber Core' system. The ‘Martial’ Core offers all-action abilities such as increasing your movement speed and deploying a cloud of protective smoke around you, ‘Chaos’ is about disabling enemies and turning them against one another and ‘Control’ offers the chance to hack and manipulate robotics such as drones and turrets. There are seven abilities stationed within each of these three branches, with multiple playthroughs required to unlock and fully upgrade everything.

Best of all, though, is the option to play the included missions in any order you wish, mercifully ridding yourself of any pressure to stay abreast of the story. It's an idea that more games that come equipped with co-op options should think about embracing as it rids groups of friends of having to match each other stride for stride in order to play a certain mission together. I might not have played the campaign at all, whereas you might have finished it, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy one of the better late missions together.

Elsewhere your playing options revolve around competitive multiplayer and, this being a Treyarch release, Zombies mode. The latter sees you fighting off wave after wave of walkers - again, in co-op teams of up to four players - while trying to solve puzzles of genuine complexity as you go.

Staying alive, dealing death, reviving teammates and besting mysteries requires the skill and touch of a circus performer to balance successfully. Certainly, you've got to be of a certain temperament to enjoy the furious blitz delivered here. As ever, some players are going to dedicate themselves to all things Zombies, whereas others are never going to touch it.

Those that don't are likely to put maximum effort into competitive multiplayer, with Black Ops III taking one step further into the fantastical. With the whole thing set some 50 years into the future, Treyarch has embraced the inclusion of the kind of military tech that warmongers can only dream of.

Most impactful is a suit system that gives you the ability to run straight across walls and boost yourself up onto high ledges and across extended gaps. This extra mobility opens the door to stunts that can be used to attack foes from unexpected angles and reach places not previously possible.

Map design isn't solely based on giving you opportunities to employ these exaggerated movements, but flat walls (in various guises) are often positioned in a way that makes clear that they're there solely for clambering across. At times their placement can feel mechanical as a result, but it’s not so illusion breaking that it sours the taste. Typically these pre-designated routes allow you to bypass the central core of a map in an attempt to flank the enemy or sneak up behind someone that is staunchly defending a certain angle/sector of the arena.

The most prominent result of wall running, though, is that it increases the pace of matches significantly. With so many traversal options open to the creative player it's not uncommon to see friend and foe pinging themselves across the map, shooting guns and throwing explosives in the process. The effect, especially given the lack of maps with long sight lines, is that a more leisurely approach is rendered largely redundant. So those favouring a slower, more considered sniper approach might be left wanting.

Black Ops III, then, is not necessarily a game for the masses in the same way Call of Duty has been in the past, but it is a more focused and exhilarating offering for those that find connection with its constant and unfettered action. In a world in which so many games are trying to be all things to all people, this form of focus is welcome from a design and identity perspective. Plus, if you find that the multiplayer isn’t for you then there’s always Zombies and the campaign to indulge in.

No, it’s not the best Call of Duty ever made, but the sheer volume of content on display largely makes up for its weaknesses in specific areas. A worthwhile story would have added enormous value to the overall package, but its absence doesn’t undermine what is another solid release.